Acoustic Sounds

Rufus Reid, Caelan Cardello

Rufus Reid Presents Caelan Cardello

Music

Sound

Rufus Reid Presents Caelan Cardello

Label: Liam Records

Produced By: Michael Fremer and Robin Wyatt

Engineered By: Duke Markos

Mixed By: Duke Markos (assisted by M.F. & R.W.)

Mastered By: Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering

Lacquers Cut By: Matthew Lutthans at Blue Heaven Studios

By: Jacob Heilbrunn

December 13th, 2023

Genre:

Jazz

Format:

Vinyl

A New Young Lion of Jazz

Caelan Cardello teams up with Rufus Reid for his maiden album

“Say hello to Caelan Cardello,” Rufus Reid, whose voice sounds about as deep as his upright bass, announces midway through the first side of this album. Hello, Caelan! And congratulations!

This wonderful LP, the first that Cardello has recorded, arrived a few months ago and has been in regular rotation, as the saying goes, on my TechDas Air Force Zero. Hand-delivered to me in Washington, DC by Michael Fremer--the proprietor of this website, veteran audio reviewer and impassioned follower of all things political (he probably rings me at least once a day to expostulate about some fresh outrage that has been perpetrated in the corridors of power in Washington)—it features a joint performance by Reid and Cardello that took place at the Klavierhaus in New York this past January.

As he listened that evening, Fremer expressed his chagrin to his chum Robin Wyatt, a high-end stereo dealer based in New Jersey, that the concert wasn’t being recorded. The redoubtable Wyatt didn’t miss a beat, as it were. “But it is,” Wyatt responded. “Our friend Duke Marcos is back there catching it all at 96/24.” And a very good thing that he did. The recording is top-flight and was mastered by none other than Bob Ludwig who has now retired after decades of valorous service in the engineering trenches. This is one of his last efforts and the sonic results, it must be said, are quite stellar.

Jazz has a long history of performers hitting the big-time at a tender age. Earl Hines joining Lois Deppe and His Symphonian Serenaders at age 17. Louis Armstrong playing with Fate Marable on a New Orleans riverboat as a teenager. And in 1956 there was the wunderkind Lee Morgan joining the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band and cutting his first album at age 18. And so on.

I don’t know if the twenty-two-year-old Cardello, who has been tickling the ivories since he was a tyke, will reach those lofty heights, but if his maiden album is anything to go by, he’s got a darned good shot--oodles of talent annealed to an expansive musical imagination.

For my money, Cardello can swing with the best of them—on the song “Mean What You Say,” which was composed by Thad Jones, Cardello lets it rip. But he also has a delicately nuanced side that manifests itself on lovely numbers such as Cedar Walton’s “Bolivia” and Rufus Reid’s “It’s the Nights I Like.” There’s a shimmering, gossamer-like quality to the latter song that immediately captures your heart. Cardello’s refined and elegant playing on the Klavierhaus’ Fazioli Grand is a pleasure to listen to over and over.

What about jazz icon Reid? I often have quibbles, if not quarrels, about the way upright double bass is recorded on jazz albums. Put bluntly, it tends to sound muddy, like trudging through a field after a rainstorm. I’m pleased to report that there was none of that on this LP. Quite the contrary. Whether I was employing the solid-state Dartzeel NHB-468 or the SET Octave Jubilee monoblock amplifiers on my Avantgarde Trio G3 loudspeakers, I was more than satisfied with the solidity and resonance of the bass reproduction. In truth, I was wowed.

Even Fremer, who seems to regard horn loudspeakers with something between resignation and outright horror, was impressed by the reproduction on “Bolivia” when he heard my rig here in Washington, DC. The sound was big, lavish, opulent. And silky. Fremer, who served as the album’s executive producer, is rightly proud of it.

Reid’s own pride in Cardello’s musical prowess is obvious. On the final cut on side 1, “The Whims of Chambers,” they dig deep into the blues, knowing, as Reid puts it, that they would be wholly remiss not to tackle them during a jazz concert. Uniting an old master and a rising young star, this album has its moments of whimsy, but is above all a profound exploration of jazz traditions played with conviction and flair.

Music Specifications

Catalog No: ARF-1

Pressing Plant: Quality Record Pressings

Speed/RPM: 33 1/3

Weight: 180 grams

Size: 12"

Channels: Stereo

Source: digital file

Presentation: Single LP

Comments

  • 2023-12-14 06:51:29 AM

    bwb wrote:

    By my count this is the 12th time you've pimped this album in an article on this site. You even managed to work it into an article about an ethernet switch. I know you are proud of it but enough is enough

    Why don't you just put a banner ad at the top of each page so it's the first thing we see every time we log on instead of yet another article and/or mention of it

    • 2023-12-14 02:25:39 PM

      Michael Fremer wrote:

      Good idea!

      • 2023-12-14 03:48:47 PM

        bwb wrote:

        always eager to help

    • 2023-12-14 06:02:54 PM

      Malachi Lui wrote:

      in all fairness, plugging it in the 2023 gift guide was my idea, so i'll take responsibility for that one.

    • 2023-12-14 08:55:39 PM

      Anton wrote:

      Don't let it bug you. Stereophile had an ensemble called "Attention Screen" that was sort of the house label band they promoted. This site has this release. I think people's enthusiasm for the whole "nose to tail" process makes for a certain creative energy and they take a whack at being part of a start to finish recording. I get that it's a fine line between journalism and promotion, but we've known both sites a long time, they are about more than one project, or we wouldn't still be interested!

  • 2023-12-14 05:45:21 PM

    Jim Shue wrote:

    Bought this LP, I figured Fremer has rarely led me astray. Sadly this is one time he's recommended an LP that did not knock it out of th park - more like 6/8.

    Competent playing from a young player is the best thing I can say about this album. For a digital live recording the sound is pretty good but in no way is it a 10.

    I have many dozens of jazz piano albums in my collection (Bill Evans, Paul Bley, Keith Jarrett, Red Garland, etc.). This LP adds nothing to that legacy. Looking forward to the next Liam Records release - AAA?

    • 2023-12-14 07:15:33 PM

      Michael Fremer wrote:

      Of course your opinion but it's at odds with most of the responses, which were more like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFGtQ1RJVfI

    • 2023-12-14 07:18:13 PM

      Michael Fremer wrote:

      “caelan cardello is a natural…a great talent with an innate ability to communicate with other musicians and with the audience, his playing is uplifting and effervescent.” — BILL CHARLAP

    • 2023-12-14 07:20:03 PM

      Michael Fremer wrote:

      readers can watch Caelan accompany the great Cecile McLorin Salvant in this video an draw they own conclusions without buying the record: https://youtu.be/xLzFL4M0tzA?si=mQ29gnArRQiAuDRS

      • 2023-12-15 03:01:14 PM

        Scotty wrote:

        Michael, I thought one of the purposes of a place like this was to help draw attention to music, whether it be new, old or mastered again for folks to enjoy or critique if needed. I personally would be proud of my involvement with this recording even if it's not for everyone (what record is). I would help make sure folks are aware and with Malachi adding it to the gift guide just seems natural. I like the passion here as I have agrred and disagreed before, but the reviews do come off sincere. It sure would be boring if we all liked the same record and all we did was rave about it together. If I want to sing Kumbaya, I'll go build a camp fire and roast some marshmellows. And Michael BTW, your review of the Jerome Sabbagh "Vintage" release has to be one of my favorites of yours, talk about nailing it! My limited numbered version is on the way and talk about a very cool person, such a rarity to run across someone like this that takes the time to chat with his audience, priceless!

        • 2023-12-15 04:36:21 PM

          Jim Shue wrote:

          Appeal to authority is poor argumentation. What's next for Liam Records?

  • 2023-12-15 08:39:07 PM

    Anton wrote:

    I'm holding out for JoE Silva's review before I decide.